A decade ago, a group of beautiful women from Congo caught my attention with their brightly colored dresses. When I went over to meet them. I introduced myself as an artist. Immediately, their American sponsor asked if I would be willing to paint their portraits and tell their stories for ArtPrize. This yearly art event hosted in Grand Rapids, Michigan, showcases the work of around 1,400 artists to 600,000 annual visitors. At the time, I knew nothing of Congo. I honestly didn’t even know where Congo was located on the map, other than it was somewhere in Africa.
Over the next year, I immersed myself in the Congolese stories, while painting their portraits for ArtPrize. As I learned about the horrific genocide and rape in Congo, the refugees’ courage, coupled with joy, inspired me. These resilient women caused me to question my life and my response to suffering.
Recently, during my Consumers Credit Union interview with their chief marketing officer, Lynne Jarman-Johnson, she asked, “Out of the last eleven years of ArtPrize, which work was the most personally inspiring to you?” I instantly thought of my project with the women of Congo. Their stories of suffering and loss made an impact on how I face hard times, especially as we head into another year of uncertainty—with political unrest, social upheaval, and an unrelenting worldwide pandemic.
